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Logan teen’s summer project a labour of love

While some spend the summer at the beach or relaxing in front of the TV, a group of Logan teenagers embarked on something different – a holiday project to help local homeless people.

Kuraby woman Aisha Abdallah, 19, came up with an idea: along with her friends, she wanted to do something to help people in her community feel good.
While watching overseas videos on the internet, inspiration struck – providing practical gifts to homeless people locally.

‘A man was going around asking homeless people what they wanted for Christmas,’ Aisha said.

‘They wanted little things, like a Starbucks coffee, just because they hadn’t had one in a while.’

Aisha was surprised by the simplicity of some of their answers, and realised that offering small but special gifts – ‘like a really delicious coffee’ – is a way of showing people they matter.

‘Such a little thing, done sincerely, can make someone really happy.’

Pooling their own money to buy the gifts, Aisha and her friends put together 30 bags filled with easy to eat items: snacks, noodle cups, biscuits with cheese, and small ready to eat tins, along with pieces of seasonal fresh fruit – ripe mangoes, nectarines, apples, and bananas.

The teenagers had originally planned to set out into Brisbane City on their own to find rough sleepers, but after contacting Rosies – Friends on the Street, they instead decided to distribute their gifts in their local community.

Four of the girls – Aisha, her sister, and two of her cousins – handed out the gifts to patrons attending Rosies’ Woodridge outreach.

They also spent some time talking with patrons and volunteers, as well as with staff from the Street Doctors mobile medical service who offer a GP clinic to the homeless.

‘We had heard of the Street Doctors, but I think it was a real eye-opener being a part of it,’ said Aisha.

Street team leader and Logan branch coordinator Margaret Harvey said patrons who come to Rosies are just like anyone else.

‘Some of them have had bad luck and some have an illness and no one cares about them,’ she said.

‘We have some pensioners who come every week – they’re isolated, they don’t have family so they come to us.’

Margaret says it’s common for Rosies patrons to feel like they are alone, and that many have difficulty finding opportunities to be social.

‘Some of our patrons have mental illness – they have a case worker who comes every two weeks, but no one else wants to spend time with them.’

She says most people who come to the Rosies van at Woodridge are not what many would consider ‘stereotypical’ rough sleepers.

‘Out here, you’re seeing the hidden homeless,’ said Margaret.

‘They’ve got a roof over their head, but nothing else.

‘Or families in cars. The kids are going to school every day, so nobody knows they’re homeless.’

Aisha said she and her friends enjoyed the experience, and planned to put together more gift bags for Rosies patrons throughout the year – with a range of different items like sunglasses, sunscreen, shampoo and conditioner and some homemade cupcakes.

Most of all, she hopes that the gesture will help some vulnerable people know they matter.

‘It’s just about saying hi to people, letting them know you’re thinking about them.’

To see the video that inspired Aisha and her friends, click here.

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Rosies appoints new General Manager

Rosies welcomes a new General Manager of Rosies Youth Mission Inc, Andrew O’Brien, who replaces previous General Manager Troy Bailey. Andrew was appointed to the position on January 15, 2015, after having guided the organisation in an interim capacity since November.

Andrew is an experienced executive with a particular interest in the services offered within the mission of the Church.

Andrew qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983 and pursued a career in local government culminating as CEO of Mount Isa City Council from 1998-2003. Subsequently he worked for the Queensland Government in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, followed by two years in the Department of Infrastructure and Planning.

Between 2011 and 2014, Andrew worked for the Archdiocese of Brisbane in the role of Director Centacare Employment (Brisbane). Most recently, he acted as Interim Director of Centacare Toowoomba and assisted the transition to a new Director in September 2014.

Andrew has a strong interest in parish and community activities in his local area.

Rosies welcomes Andrew to the position and looks forward in 2015 to another successful year supporting our ‘friends on the street’.

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KAY VOLTZ RETIRES FROM ROSIES BOARD

Rosies – Friends on the Street today held a morning tea to acknowledge the significant contribution of Mrs Kay Voltz, who recently retired as minute secretary of the Rosies Board.

Mrs Voltz has had a long involvement with Rosies and with Iona College, having spent over 30 years with Iona College before assuming the role of minute secretary at Rosies in 2009.

‘Kay has been a quiet and unassuming presence at Rosies for many years,’ said Rosies Chair John Scoble.

‘We are thankful for her service to Rosies and to Iona College, especially through her last five years as Minute Secretary.

‘Personally, I was impressed by her dedication, her humble demeanour, and her calm conversation.’

Mrs Voltz worked with many Rosies stalwarts during her tenure, including former manager Bob Boardman, Chair Ron Bird, and chaplain Fr Pat Dwyer OMI.

Rosies – Friends on the Street would like to thank Mrs Voltz for her significant contribution, and wish her all the best in the future.

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THANK YOU: ST ANDREW’S REDLYNCH AND ST URSULA’S TOOWOOMBA

St Andrew’s Catholic College, Redlynch, and St Ursula’s College, Toowoomba are schools on a mission!

Recently, each school raised an incredible amount – in excess of $4,000 each – to support Rosies outreach services in their local areas, with Cairns, Toowoomba, and Ipswich branches receiving funds.

On Friday August 1, over 50 St Ursula’s students from years 10, 11 and 12 were sponsored to brave the cold for a 12 hour sleepout in Merici Courtyard. Now in its third year, the event has been enthusiastically supported by the girls – and they have become muhc more appreciative of the comfort and warmth of their own beds and homes as a result!

St Ursula's Sleepout St Ursula's Sleepout St Ursula's Sleepout

St Andrew’s Year 12 students held their own sleepout during Catholic Education Week on August 1, while Year 11 students ran a blanket drive. The younger students got in on the act too by putting together hygiene packs!

Both schools are participants in the Rosies Student Engagement Program, with students volunteering year round with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in their local areas. Students also provide material support to Rosies patrons in the form of emergency relief: food and hygiene packs.

Rosies would like to thank St Andrew’s and St Ursula’s for their continued generous support.

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UPDATE: AMAQ FOUNDATION FUND NEW VAN

Local Cairns GP Dr Sharmila Biswas and Australian Medical Association Queensland Foundation have raised an incredible $57,000 through their annual tax appeal to help secure the future of Rosies’ Cairns branch.
The current Cairns vehicle is the oldest in the Rosies fleet and no longer serviceable.
Funds raised will provide a brand new van with a custom designed and fitted servery tailored to the needs of the Cairns branch.
Homelessness rates in Queensland’s far North are double of the rest of the State, and in response increasing demand the Cairns branch last year expanded to a third night of street outreach each week.
A new van will ensure the branch will be in a position to expand services further if needed.
Rosies CEO Troy Bailey said the generosity of Queensland’s medical community is overwhelming.
‘The members of the AMA – they’re already working to help some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people out there,’ he said.
‘Then to donate they way they have to support our work here at Rosies – I can only say thank you. It’s really incredible.’
Our Spring newsletter is out – to download a copy, .

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YOUTH DETENTION: CHILDREN BEHIND BARS

Social contact with the outside world is crucial to the emotional well being of young people, but there are even more serious reasons for the existence of volunteer visitation programs. The transparency involved in opening institutions facilitates a form of community oversight which helps protect children from abuse by those charged with their care.

Fifteen years ago the Forde Inquiry examined the treatment of children in Queensland institutions including youth detention.

The Commission’s findings included a recommendation that visitors from the community be allowed regular access to correctional centres and other institutions.

Rosies first entered the Sir Leslie Wilson Youth Detention Centre in 1998. When that institution was closed – another recommendation of the Inquiry – the visitation program moved to the new Brisbane Youth Detention Centre.

Rosies volunteers currently visit boys and girls in the Centre on Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons, engaging them in card games, recreational sport, and friendly conversation.

The centre’s residents are overwhelmingly from disadvantaged backgrounds. Indigenous youth are also concerningly over-represented: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprise approximately 2% of the population, but represent around 50% of detainees.

Inquiry chair and Rosies patron Leneen Forde recently spoke of the importance of Rosies’ presence in the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre.

‘One of the key findings that the (Forde) Inquiry made was for young people in correctional centres and institutions to have access to sympathetic visitors who visited them and helped them to get their lives back on track,’ she said.

Outside prison, volunteers are restricted from acknowledging young people they have met through visitation programs. It’s not unusual though for patrons to approach a street team and self-identify as having engaged with Rosies inside prison – often they are glad of a familiar face.

Because volunteers are present both inside and outside of prison, Rosies serves as a social anchor for young people who find integration into ordinary life difficult.

To support Rosies Youth Detention Centre visitation program, click here to make a donation.

Our Spring newsletter is out – to download a copy, .

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SCHOOLIES WEEK: WHAT’S IT WORTH?

Schoolies Week is a time for celebration, a time when young people come together to celebrate the closing of a chapter – but these celebrations also carry with them specific risks.

More than 30,000 school leavers register for the event on the Gold Coast, with a majority coming from Queensland. Unlike school leavers from most other States, the majority of Queensland schoolies are under the age of 18.

Many of these young people are away from home for the very first time, trusted to behave as adults in what can be a highly stressful environment.

Seventeen year olds occupy a difficult legal grey area. On the one hand they are not legally permitted to enter a licensed premises; but they can be tried and sentenced as adults. Choices made at Schoolies Week can have lifelong consequences.

To help mitigate these risks, Rosies volunteers collaborate with several other community groups as part of the Queensland Government’s Gold Coast Schoolies Community Safety Response – a massive undertaking involving 19 government and non-government agencies.

The Response aims to support young people to make responsible decisions while they celebrate. A safe space is cordoned off for young people to enjoy themselves without recourse to alcohol or drugs, and young people can access vital support services as required. Schoolies are encouraged to think about their behaviour and how their choices affect themselves, their friends, and the wider community.

Preliminary data suggests that the Response works: rates of drug and alcohol use by school leavers seem to be decreasing. The culture of school leavers is gradually changing for the better.

Despite these positives, there are still specific risks for young people at Schoolies Week. Although young people may feel excited and relieved at finishing school, they may also feel a sense of loss, anxiety or uncertainty – without the nearby support of their parents and family.

Rosies actively recruits volunteers with relevant skills to assist clients with complex or high-risk needs – especially youth workers, counsellors, and volunteers with suicide intervention or first aid training.

Shannon Pettigrew first volunteered with Rosies in 2010 as a psychology student. Having since completed her degree, she’s also an experienced front line drug and alcohol worker and crisis counselor.

‘School leavers are at a crossroads – there’s so much potential ahead,’ Shannon said.

‘I think it’s important to help them through that, so they get to the other side of it ready for the next phase of their lives.’

Shannon was on the ground in 2012 when Rosies volunteers were called to respond to a critical incident.

Staff and volunteers from several organisations worked through the night to identify affected young people, offer counseling, and ensure their safety until they reconnected with their families and support networks.

‘The thing that struck me about being a part of the critical incident response was that it really wasn’t about me,’ said Shannon.

‘We managed the welfare centre and were there to meet the needs of those young people and help them decide what to do next, but it was more about facilitating a community coming together to support the affected young people.

‘Our role was really to keep young people safe until they could go home, and we did that.’

Mark Reaburn, Independent Chair of the Gold Coast Schoolies Advisory Board, said the work that community organisations like Rosies undertake at Schoolies Week is vital to the success of the Response.

‘Rosies have been an imperative part of the delivery of the Gold Coast Schoolies Community Safety Response by providing practical support services and advice to young people during the official schoolies period,’ he said.

‘We appreciate the ongoing commitment and contribution made by Rosies and their volunteer network to enhance the safety of school leavers and the local community.’

Despite this, services face increasing funding pressure. Government cuts threaten resources across the not for profit sector, and there is intense competition for grant funding.

‘There needs to be someone there for schoolies,’ said Shannon.

‘I’m fortunate enough to have the skills to be equipped to keep coming back.’

To help fund Rosies’ Schoolies Week project, click here to make a donation.

Our Spring newsletter is out – to download a copy, .

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BE PREPARED: GIRL GUIDES HELP ROSIES GET READY FOR WINTER

Rosies volunteers

Jon Martlew (second from left) and his team of Rosies volunteers with Kathryn Gorton (far right) of Guides Queensland

World Chief Guide and founder of the guiding movement, Lady Olave Baden-Powell once said, ‘It is not what you have but what you give that brings happiness.’

On Saturday evening May 17 Toowoomba Branch Coordinator Jon Martlew took a team of Rosies volunteers and a fully stocked van to the Yellaloo Guide Hut.

The team were there to provide a barbecue dinner and some hot Milo to Girl Guides from the Guides Queensland Darling Downs region who slept outside in the cold as part of their ‘Chain of Cardboard Cities’ fundraising event.

22 Guides aged from 8 to 14 participated in the event to raise funds to assist homeless people in the Toowoomba area.

The girls slept outdoors in cardboard boxes to get a feel for what it’s like for a person sleeping rough – and the weather pitched in to help with a little rain overnight, leading to some soggy shelters!

One lucky girl had the opportunity to sleep in a Backpack Bed overnight to see the difference a warm dry shelter can make to a person without a roof over their head.

‘We drew a lucky number to select the Guide who would have the chance to sleep in the Backpack Bed for the night,’ said Jon.

‘The girl who won the draw had brought her own sleeping bag for the night – so she gave the opportunity to another girl she felt needed it more.’

‘We thought her generosity was just so special – if these girls are our future leaders, I think the place is in good hands.’

Guides set up their boxes

Guides setting up their cardboard boxes, with Rosies volunteer Margaret Battle heading over to help.

Rosies Training and Development Manager Cat Milton also attended to talk with the girls about homelessness and how people can help.

‘Young people can sometimes grasp abstract concepts so much more quickly than adults,’ said Cat.

‘The girls understood intuitively the value of friendship to a person’s self esteem and resilience, and were able to suggest ways they could assist people who are homeless in ways which are both practically and emotionally supportive.’

Funds raised from the event will be donated to Rosies to support operations in Toowoomba.

 

Our Winter newsletter is out – to download a copy, .

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ROSIES RESPONSE TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET

Rosies, like many other charities across Australia, will need to expand its services to meet the needs of vulnerable families and others who live on tight budgets may find themselves homeless or houseless.

The Federal Budget has raised concerns for many local charities as disadvantaged and vulnerable groups are at higher risk than ever due to funding cuts.

The axing of government jobs and amalgamation of many State based services will stress families reliant on support services, tightening their already precarious budgets and making homelessness a very real possibility. Cuts to Family Tax Benefit will be the breaking point for many vulnerable families.

Rosies has been seeing families living in their cars in our regional outreaches across Queensland over the past year, and numbers are rising.

Currently 27% of homeless in Queensland are children, and we expect this figure to rise as more families are pushed out on to the street.

Our Ipswich outreach reported 90 people in the park recently and 30 of them were children.

With such alarming numbers of families reaching out to Rosies for help, we can expect the demand on our outreaches to increase.

In fact, Rosies is receiving calls to expand with requests from the Wynnum community to establish an outreach locally.

Local emergency relief providers have reported a significant increase in requests for help from people at risk of homelessness – families and individuals reliant on Centrelink payments who do not have enough money for food after rent is paid, and some who do not receive income support at all.

So far this year, just one emergency relief provider has had requests for assistance from 160 individuals and families. Their clients are households at significant risk of homelessness, and budget cuts increase this risk significantly.

As some of these budget cuts don’t take effect until 2015-2017, Rosies needs to plan and prepare for an increasing number of marginalised people who will need our support.

It is crucial that Rosies further engage in local community partnerships in order to resource and provide support to the growing need that
lies ahead. We would like to secure some corporate partnerships, so we can engage skilled volunteers to assist us with providing services
and bridging the gaps for the marginalised and disadvantaged in our community.

With such alarming numbers of families reaching out to Rosies for help, we can expect the demand on our outreaches to increase.

Our Winter newsletter is out – to download a copy, .

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IPSWICH ROSIES KEEPING FAMILIES WARM THIS WINTER

The nights are already cold in Ipswich, but Rosies is partnering with Street Doctors and Kotahi Aroha to provide warm hospitality to patrons.

Ipswich Branch Coordinator Michael Byrnes says that Thursday nights in Ipswich are like a big family get together – though the irony is that many of our patrons are families who are doing it tough.

‘We’re seeing lots of kids,’ said Michael.

‘Last night we saw about 90 people in the park, and about 30 of them were children.’

‘I was shocked.’

There are so many children coming to visit the Rosies van that a volunteer on each team spends their shift making hot Milo for them and ensuring they’re comfortable and warm while they’re there.

‘I’ve got a fair idea that a few of them are sleeping in cars, but some of them have homes – they just have no money. They’re coming out to get something to eat.’

Kotahi Aroha are a charity group based in Logan who make the trip to Ipswich every Thursday to provide hot meals to Rosies patrons.

They also bring canned food for patrons to take home with them.

Michael says that sharing park space with Rosies actually changes the way that groups like Kotahi Aroha engage with patrons.

Once the group serves patrons with a meal, their volunteers enjoy a cuppa from the Rosies van and spend time chatting with patrons.

‘It makes for a very harmonious night,’ said Michael.

‘We all eat together like a family.’

The Street Doctors also visit on Thursday night with their mobile GP surgery to provide medical services to patrons in need.

Demand for the Street Doctors services are increasing as patrons become more familiar with the service.

The doctors also share a cuppa and chat with patrons in between consultations which helps to build trust.

‘The doctors used to see about 6 patrons each night, but in the last couple of weeks that’s doubled to around a dozen.’

‘The fact that the doctors can be social with a cuppa – it does make a difference.’

Michael said that as the weather gets colder, patrons are seeking shelter for the night earlier.

‘We’ve changed our outreach times on Friday nights to start at 7pm rather than 8pm.’

‘We found that our patrons were arriving as early as 5 or 6pm and waiting for us to come and give them a hot drink or some noodles to fight off the cold.’

The Ipswich branch is facing an increase in demand for warm blankets and Backpack Beds.

During winter, temperatures overnight can drop to below zero, making a warm place to sleep a matter of survival rather than comfort.

 

Our Winter newsletter is out – to download a copy, .

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